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A hot potato: Big tech companies have been quick to put an end to or cut back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, a response to pressure from Donald Trump and his administration. Pushing back against the trend is Apple, whose shareholders voted down a proposal to dismantle its DEI initiatives this week. However, Trump has now personally urged the company to end these diversity policies.
Meta and Google are just two of the tech firms to end their diversity hiring goals and scrap DEI programs in the wake of Trump’s inauguration. The president has called these initiatives discriminatory against those whose race or gender does not align with those the programs are designed to help. There has even been the threat of legal action for not following the administration’s wishes – Trump suggested the DoJ could investigate if the programs violate any laws.
Apple, which has long championed DEI initiatives, has been keeping relatively quiet.
Conservative think tank The National Center for Public Policy Research had submitted a proposal titled Request to Cease DEI Efforts to Apple’s shareholder meeting this week. It was defeated by 210.45 million votes in favor and 8.84 billion votes against.
The group submitted a similar proposal to Costco’s annual meeting last month, where it was also rejected.
Apple CEO Tim Cook did admit that the company might have to make some changes to its diversity programs as the legal landscape changes, though he told shareholders that “We will continue to create a culture of belonging.”
Earlier today, Trump urged Apple to get rid of its DEI programs, rather than “just make adjustments” to them. “DEI was a hoax that has been very bad for our country. DEI is gone,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Last week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a federal lawsuit against Target, alleging that its DEI initiatives misled investors and resulted in significant financial losses. The lawsuit claims that Target violated the Securities Exchange Act by failing to disclose the potential risks associated with its DEI and Pride Month campaigns, which led to consumer backlash and a decline in stock value.
Cook has striven to form a closer relationship with Trump during the president’s second term in office. Yesterday, Apple announced that the company would make a $500 billion investment in US manufacturing over the next four years, which includes building a new factory in Houston and hiring over 20,000 people in the US. Trump commended Apple for the announcement, saying the reason behind it was “faith in what we are doing.”
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